Contamination of static surfaces and moving air within an HVAC unit is a common problem that may significantly deteriorate air quality within an environment. For example, organic growth within an HVAC unit may increase the risk of disease for persons occupying a building such as a personal residence, an office building, a factory, or the like.
Germicidal UV light rays can be used for inactivating microorganisms such as viruses and bacteria disposed on surfaces of an HVAC unit and within air moving through an HVAC unit. This may be accomplished by installing one or more so-called UV “stick” lights directly within an HVAC unit. Such UV “stick” lights are primarily used to treat stationary surfaces but may also be sized to sterilize particles in moving air.
Such UV lights may thus be mounted in such a manner as to project UV radiation onto surfaces and moving air within an interior chamber of an HVAC unit. This may be accomplished by mounting a UV light to an internal surface of an HVAC unit, or may alternatively be accomplished by inserting a UV light through an outer wall of an HVAC unit and mounting the UV light therein.
Installation of such UV lights into existing HVAC systems tends to be a difficult and time consuming process. In most cases, especially given the available lamp structures and mounting mechanisms, installation is difficult and slow to perform and may require substantial use of tools. The same holds true even for routine replacements.
There exists a need in the art, therefore, for a device and method that allows a UV light or other lamp structure to be installed, removed, and replaced quickly and efficiently, with minimal, if any, use of tools.